News

Again, Appeal Court Dismisses Suit Seeking Timipre Sylva’s Exclusion From Bayelsa Guber Poll

Published

6 months ago

November 10, 2023

Editor

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has finally cleared the coast for former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva to participate in this Saturday’s governorship election in Bayelsa State.

The appellate court on Friday dismissed the last of the chains of suits seeking the exclusion of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the gubernatorial poll.

Delivering judgment in an appeal instituted against Sylva and two others by one Hon Isikima Ogbomade Johnson, Justice Binta Zubar held that the suit was not only unjustifiable but brought in bad faith by the appellant against the respondents.

The Court agreed with Chief James Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), that the allegations of taking the oath of governorship office twice being held against Sylva cannot stand in the face of law because competent courts had invalidated the first one.

In the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1052/2023, Justices Zubar also dismissed the allegations against APC that its April 14, 2023, primary election, which produced Sylva as flagbearer, was done in contravention of provisions of the law.

The unanimous judgment agreed with Onoja’s arguments that the overwhelming evidence adduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and APC pointed to the fact that all legal steps were taken in the conduct of the primary election.

Onoja SAN had, in his brief on behalf of Sylva, narrated how APC adopted direct primary as the mode of electing the governorship candidate and how a 5-man Electoral Committee on April 14 conducted the election in 106 Wards of the eight local government areas of Bayelsa.

The senior lawyer also listed how Sylva, with 52,062 votes, came first, while the appellant came fourth with 584 votes behind Joshua Maciver with 2,078 votes, David Perewomini Lyon with 1,584 votes, Ongoebi Etebu with 1,277 votes while Daumiebi Festus Sunday came last with 557 votes.

The Appeal Court said with the undisputed evidence coupled with the monitoring report of INEC as a statutory body, the allegations by the appellant that Sylva emerged without a primary election has no foundation.

“From the uncontroverted independent report of INEC, it was clear beyond any doubt that a valid primary election was conducted by APC and monitored by the electoral umpire as required by law.

Justice Zubar also held that the appellant’s case was statute barred having been instituted outside the 14 days allowed by law as a pre-election matter.

In totality, the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo which on September 26 dismissed the suit for want of merit and substance.

Johnson had, by an originating summons, dragged APC, INEC and Sylva before the Federal High Court, praying for an order to disqualify him from being allowed to participate in the coming November governorship election in Bayelsa State.

She had predicated her grouse against Sylvia on two grounds – that Sylva had been elected into governorship office twice and took the oath of office and oath of allegiance twice and that the April 14 primary election that produced Sylva was illegal and unlawful, having been allegedly done in contravention with APC’s guidelines.

The High Court, however, dismissed the suit while the Court of Appeal affirmed its dismissal.

News

JUST IN: Police Release Portable After Meeting Bail Condition

Published

50 mins ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

The Lagos state police command has released Musician Habeeb Okikiola, a.k.a Portable after spending a night in the forces cell.

The Lagos state public relations officer, SP Benajmin Hundeyin confirmed the release to Vanguard this evening, stating that he was released this afternoon.

When asked if Portable has sorted out the issues, the spokesman added “I have no idea about it but what I can say is that he has been granted bail”

Recall that the ‘Zazzu’ crooner was nabbed on Tuesday following his alleged refusal to pay the debt he incurred when he purchased Mercedes Benz GLE 350 from Ogunsanwo Temitope (Temmy Autos), a car dealer in the state.

It was gathered that Portable had paid only N13 million after purchasing the vehicle, which was worth N27 million. He was said to have refused to pay the N14 million balance.

News

JUST IN: Obidient Movement Infiltrated By Saboteurs, Abure Laments

Published

3 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, on Wednesday, expressed concern that the ruling oligarchy and suspected saboteurs have infiltrated the rank of its Obidient Movement to pull down the party.

Abure raised the alarm at a press conference held at the party secretariat in Abuja.

The Obidient Movement, birthed in the build-up of the 2023 general election, comprises young Nigerians who see the hope of a new Nigeria in the candidacy of LP Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.

The impact of the group was felt when it powered the Labour Party to a stunning performance at the February 25 presidential and national legislative elections.

To date, LP has one elected governor, 35 members of the House of Representatives and seven senators to its credit.

But Abure told journalists that the recent attitude of some Obidient members has given a notion that the movement may have been penetrated by the ruling oligarchy to erode all the gains they made in the past year.

He said, “I also want to appeal to the Obidient movement to remain in the party and be patient to learn the rudiments of politics. It is also my appeal that they should endeavour to find time to read the Constitution of the party, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution. This will enable them to make a well-informed opinion about the activities of the party.

“I must say that a lot of people, particularly, the ruling oligarchy have no doubt, infiltrated the Obidient Movement and they are currently striving to carry some innocent Obidient along in derailing and unnecessarily criticising the party to bring it to disrepute and pull it down.

“This is not to say, however, that some of the complaints from the Obidients are not germane. But part of these complaints is that those who want to belong to the party have not been fully absorbed.”

To resolve the plethora of complaints bombarding the party frequently, the LP national chairman announced that a directorate has been created to attend to the affairs of the Obidient movement.

Abure said he was excited about the prospect knowing that considerable members of the group are chairmen and executives at the wards, local governments, states and national levels.

“To attend swiftly to most complaints of Obidients, we have decided to create a whole directorate dedicated to the family. That directorate will coordinate the registration of members and integrate them fully into the structure of the party.

“The directorate will also ease Diaspora participation, bring complaints to the attention of the party leadership, coordinate the collection of dues and donations to the party and ensure all Obidients are financial members.

“They will work closely with the National Youth Leader, National Women Leader, and National Organizing Secretary to create programs that will fully and effectively assimilate all members of the Obidient family to the party.

“As the national leader of the party, Mr Peter Obi, said, the national convention has come and gone. It is therefore imperative for us to put our differences aside and collectively work in the interest of the party and Nigerians who are currently suffering amid plenty. The Nigerian people have a common enemy which I refer to as the ruling oligarchy in Nigeria. They have held the country captive and ensured that our common patrimony is stolen.”

News

Abure Bows To Pressure, Begs NLC President For Reconciliation

Published

4 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, on Wednesday, appealed to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, to set aside his differences and work together with the party leadership for old-time’s sake.

Abure made the plea at his first press conference following the April 3 fire incident that almost claimed his life at his Abuja residence.

Both Abure and Ajaero had been at loggerheads following several attempts made by the congress to take control of the party structure over claims the embattled LP chairman was running a one-man show amid allegations of financial malfeasance.

The LP camp had also made a counterclaim that Ajaero was desperately seeking to evict the Abure-led National Working Committee with an ulterior motive to use the party as a transactional platform ahead of the 2027 election.

Addressing newsmen at the party secretariat in Abuja, Abure described the NLC president as a friend and brother having worked together in the trenches over the years fighting for the welfare of workers.

The LP national chairman therefore urged the union leader to put aside his grievances and support their effort to rebuild the country in the interest of Nigerians.

He said, “Consequently, I want to appeal first to my brother, friend and Joe Ajaero, President of the NLC whom we have worked together in the trenches over the years in the struggle for workers, to put aside whatever may be his grievances. Let’s work in the interest of our people.

“Fighting the Labour Party is uncalled for and unwarranted, especially at this time when the working people of Nigeria are suffering. As we speak today, the minimum wage is still N30,000. There are unfair workers practices by employers across the country. The inflation in Nigeria is unprecedented and nobody talks about workers welfare.

“For us, we need to team up together to be able to fight for better working conditions for our people. We need not waste or dissipate our collective energies in fighting ourselves over nothing. The NLC should know by now that the attempt being made to take over the leadership of the party will not work. It is my appeal that working together is better.”